Following his torn left Achilles tendon in the first round of the playoffs, the Bucks stunned the NBA by waiving and stretching the remaining $113 million on Lillard’s contract over the next five years. This move created the necessary cap space for Milwaukee to sign Myles Turner.

Monday marked the return of Portland’s favorite son, as Lillard met with the media to discuss an earlier-than-anticipated homecoming. Last week, the nine-time All-Star announced he was returning to the Rose City two years after requesting a trade that took him 2,000 miles from the only NBA home he’d ever known.

Damian Lillard says returning to Portland was both a basketball and family decision. He signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Blazers after spending his first 11 NBA seasons in Portland before a trade sent him to Milwaukee for the 2023-24 season.